San Antonio Spurs honor 103-year-old Filipino WWII veteran

Filipino WWII veteran Liban Brillantes, 103, (second from left) was honored by the San Antonio Spurs for his military service. SCREENGRAB

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — March 20 the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs honored 103-year-old Filipino veteran Liban Brillantes, who served as a soldier for the United States Army in World War II.

The team honored Brillantes at the AT&T Center in San Antonio as part of the Spurs’ Military Appreciation Night.

Brillantes, a local resident began his military career at age 19 as an intelligence service courier between the U.S. and the Philippine government.

Brillantes was originally from Nangas-asan, Abra province. At the age of 85 he moved to the United States and became a citizen seven years later.

For his military service, the Spurs gave him a personalized Spurs jersey with a “103” at the back..